SACRAMENTO – (INT) – California has become the first state in the nation to allow college athletes to receive compensation from the use of their name, image and likeness.

Governor Newsom has signed SB 206, the Fair Pay to Play Act.

Currently, student athletes are prohibited from being compensated even though their respective college or university makes millions from their athletic performance. That participation often comes with implications to their health, academic success, and professional prospects.

Newsom and others cast it as an attempt to bring more fairness to big-money college athletics and let players share in the wealth they create for their schools. Critics have long complained that schools are getting rich off the backs of athletes, often, black athletes struggling to get by financially, according to KNBC.

"Other college students with a talent, whether it be literature, music, or technological innovation, can monetize their skill and hard work," he said. "Student athletes, however, are prohibited from being compensated while their respective colleges and universities make millions, often at great risk to athletes’ health, academics and professional careers."

He predicted other states will introduce similar legislation. Two lawmakers in South Carolina have already announced plans to do so.

The NCAA, which had asked the governor to veto the bill, responded by saying it will consider its "next steps." It did not elaborate.

The NCAA, which has 1,100 member schools and claims nearly a half-million athletes, said it is working to “make adjustments to NCAA name, image and likeness rules that are both realistic in modern society and tied to higher education.” But it said any such changes should be made at a national level through the NCAA, not through a patchwork of state laws.

California’s law applies to students at both public and private universities in the state and covers all sports, though the big money to be made is in football and basketball.

It bars schools from kicking athletes off the team if they get paid. It does not apply to community colleges and prohibits athletes from accepting endorsement deals that conflict with their schools’ existing contracts.

The first-in-the-nation law, set to take effect in 2023, could upend amateur sports in the U.S. and trigger a legal challenge.

Story Date: October 6, 2019